Is my pet overweight? Body condition check
Three quick checks with your hands and eyes give the score vets use — and an estimate of your pet’s ideal weight.
Use your hands and eyes: feel along the ribs, then look from above and from the side. Answer all three.
About the score
Vets use a 9-point body condition score (the WSAVA chart): 4 or 5 is ideal, 1–3 is too thin, 6–7 overweight and 8–9 obese. Each point above 5 is roughly 10% extra body weight, which is how the ideal weight above is estimated. Heavy coats and deep-chested breeds can be hard to judge — your vet can score your pet at the next check-up.
Tailwise is for general information and is reviewed by veterinary professionals, but it is not a substitute for advice from your own vet, who knows your pet. How we check facts